AC Not Working 2003 VW Jetta TDI

Joined
May 30, 2018
Location
Wisconsin
TDI
2003 Jetta GLS 5-speed
My AC is not working. The compressor is spinning. However when I hooked up AC Pro to recharge it, it showed the gauge in the red zone and would not recharge. Checked all the fuses and they seemed fine. What else could be wrong?
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Is the clutch plate on the front of the pulley spinning? Are the two fans out front spinning?
 

Cptcrnch

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2014
Location
FredCo MD
TDI
2004 Jetta TDI wagon; 2014 Golf TDI (buyback 7/26/17)
Have you noticed foam blowing out of the vents recently. The foam on the blend door could be completely gone. It could also be a broken blend door bushing in the hvac box. There’s lots of threads on here about both issues.
 

KLXD

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 22, 2009
Location
Lompoc, CA
TDI
'98, '2 Jettas
I've never used one of those cans but I assume the red zone is the vapor pressure of 134 on a system that has some refrigerant in it but is not running.

Once the pump turns on the low side drops and you can add the gas. Problem is you have no idea how much is in the system to begin with nor how much you're adding.

In your case I'll bet a can of Freeze 12 that either the pump isn't turning as Andy suggests or if it is the control valve inside the pump isn't funcfuncfunctioning properly.

It controls the displacement of the compressor.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Are both fans running when the A/C is switched on?

You need to evacuate, vacuum, and recharge the system (with a proper machine, not parts store "cans") to insure a proper charge amount. Could be your compressor is just shot, but I still would want to place a proper known charge on the system and make sure both fans are working before I condemned the compressor.
 

Fahrvegnugen

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2017
Location
Burlington Vt
TDI
01 golf 1.9 alh gls silver
I had a similar condition as op last year. Using ac pro gauge only tells low pressure, and mine was too high to charge. This year I took my compressor out and let it hang on the ground for a couple days. Then I used plastic and rubber mallets to slide it back in. Musta dinged the rcv awake with the tapping, since it only ever blew warm air, but two days later I got some old musty smelling ac status air coming out. Not freezing but cool...
 
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